Council to try new evaluation system for top officials

City manager, city attorney’s performance to be reviewed in written format

A new system for evaluating the city manager and city attorney’s performance will likely launch this summer, the Encinitas City Council suggested Wednesday.

A council subcommittee got the go-ahead Wednesday night to create evaluation forms that include both open-ended questions and ones where performance is ranked on a numeric scale. The new system will be used by the City Council to rate the job performance of the city manager and the city attorney -- the two city employees that the council has the direct authority to hire and fire.

“Anything we do is a step-up -- we can refine it in the future,” Councilwoman Kristin Gaspar said as the council debated the proposal.

Encinitas has been inconsistent when it comes to evaluating its top officials.

City Manager Gus Vina, who started work in June 2011, has had one performance evaluation by the City Council since he was hired. Earlier this year, Vina described that July 2012 council evaluation as an informal, verbal assessment, and said he wants the next one to include a written document.

City Attorney Glenn Sabine, who has worked for Encinitas for 15 years, hasn’t had an evaluation in six years.

At Wednesday night’s meeting, Encinitas Mayor Teresa Barth said the council did use a written evaluation for Phil Cotton, who held the city manager’s post before Vina took the job.

Both she and Councilman Mark Muir said they could provide sample evaluation forms to the council subcommittee that’s tasked with drafting the new form. Gaspar and Councilwoman Lisa Shaffer are serving together on that council subcommittee.

Barth said she wanted the new evaluation form include a section where the city manager could rank his own job performance.

“I think that it’s really important to hear what they have to say about how things are working,” she said.

Gaspar said the subcommittee will return to the full council with a draft evaluation form by June.